4A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
OPINION
TALKTOUS
Kursten Phelps
editor
864-4854 or
editor@kansan.com
Leita Schultes
Christina Neff
managing editors
864-4854 or
editor@kansan.com
Erin Adamson
Brendan Woodbury
opinion editors
864-4810 or
opinion@kansan.com
Jenny Moore
business manager
864-4014 or
adddirector@kansan.com
Kate Mariani
retail sales manager
864-4462 or
retilsales@kansan.com
Tom Eblen
general manager and
news adviser
864-7667 or
teblen@kansan.com
Matt Fisher
sales and marketing
adviser
864-7666 or
mfisher@kansan.com
HAIKU FOR ALL
Bitterblueberries
seeding on virgin soil make my stomach ache
Only flip mode knows the power cauliflower holds. Eat all you can.
Ugly fat, stinking. They run without a purpose, straight to their own green.
□
PERSPECTIVE
It smells like vomit.
Unclean underwear falls off.
Word to the big bird.
Wipe your feet before vandalizing the truck stop. My soul is unbound.
The answers to life's questions are engraved in the desks in front of you.
图
Oh Sue bowin' down
My presence will be renowned
I am not pleased
Heiku for All will continue running through Friday, September 14. Call in your haiku to Free for All at 864-0500. Please identify them as Haiku. The Kansan will attempt to run all of the haiku it receives that comply with the usual Free for All guidelines.
According to the traditional style, haiku consists of two images, the juxtaposition of which creates the meaning of the poem.
They have five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third.
Submissions will not be required to conform with this style.
All letters and guest columns should be e-mailed to opinion@kansan.com or submitted to the Kansan newsroom, 111 Stauffer-Flint Hall. The Kansan reserves the right to edit, cut to length, or reject all submissions. For any questions, call Erin Adamson or Brendan Woodbury at 864-4924. If you have general questions or comments, e-mail the reader's representative at读者rep@kansan.com
How to submit letters and guest columns
Guest Columns: should be double-spaced,
typed with fewer than 700 words. The writer
must be willing to be photographed for the col-
umn to run.
Letters: Should be double-spaced, typed and fewer than 200 words. Letters must include the author's name, address and telephone number plus class and hometown if a University student. Faculty or staff must identify their positions.
Kansan works hard to fix editing mistakes in early fall
Misspelled words, awkward placements and stolen puses justifiably irritate readers.
A memo dated Aug. 28 addressed to Kursten Phelps, Kansan editor, and the rest of the Kansan staff, lay at the top of a pile of papers on a desk in the newsroom. Appropriately dubbed "the box," the top editors of the Kansan all crowded into the Phelps' office and reviewed the memo during their daily meeting. In it was a list of reminders about style and errors in previous headlines, grammar, and story content. The memo was the second of two this year delivered from Tom Eblen, Kansan faculty adviser.
Several readers called the Free for All last week wondering why football players Mario Kinsey and Reggie Duncan stole "puses". Those readers along with a few others also commented that the Kansan should do a better job proofreading, questioning the overall editing merits of the staff.
Although the first memo had a more constructive tone and highlighted many of the positives from the first editions of the paper, the second was harsh—and justifiably so. The memo even went on to say, "Writers and editors need to work with their brains turned on."
These comments, in part, came as a result of a story on last Thursday reporting that Kinsey and Duncan were identified as suspects in a purse snatching. The story had two misspeellings of the word, purse, in the same sentence, in which the letter "r" was left out. The result was "The stolen items in the puse
Commentary
Readers' Representative readersrepakansan.com
Jonathan Ng
Another incident that might have raised the eyebrows of some readers involved the placement of a headline and a photo headline on the front page on last Thursday's edition of the Kansan. The headline was "KU student drowns in pool" and right below it was the photo caption, "Stairway to heaven." Although the story and picture were unrelated, the placement of the two above the fold, on the front page and right beside each other was awkward. Granted, this misplacement would be more difficult to catch than misspelled words, but it still may have offended some readers.
and the puse were valued at $191.84."
"It's been real frustrating for us," Phelps said. "The copy editors and a lot of the designers are new, and they're still trying to settle into their roles. It's kind of like a baptism by fire. You kind of just learn on the job."
Another concern for readers has been the inordinate amount of white space at the end of stories.
According to Phelps, the ideal situation is to have no more than three empty lines of text at the end of a story. The extra white space in the Kansan is part of its new design and also contains
the contact information for reporters.
Despite all the concerns readers have raised in the past week about the Kansan's faults, there have been some strong points as well. A lot of the photos have been shot at creative angles, the new layout is easier to read and the coverage, for the most part, has been interesting to students. The Kansan followed both the Kinsey and Duncan suspensions and the approval of alcohol at tailgating stories very well.
Misspelled words, along with other mistakes in the Kansan have justifiably upset readers and need to be improved. A story goes through four editors by the time it goes to print, with each editor looking for different things. According to Phelps, the Kansan has maintained a strong national reputation partially because of its editing process, which is all the more reason why there should not be as many errors as there has been.
In general, errors are to be expected early on and especially from a staff adjusting to new positions each semester.
However, students expect their newspaper to be accurate, informative and without spelling errors. The staff is among the best in the nation. You should continue pressing the Kansan to a higher standard. Keep informing the staff about its mistakes. (And occasionally, a compliment wouldn't hurt either.)
Ng is a junior in journalism and Spanish from Leawood. He is a readers' representative.
PERSPECTIVE
Teachers wield power of inspiration
Teachers are powerful.
They are probably the greatest determining factor in whether students enjoy school. A teacher's words or actions can bless you with the most awesome day in your life or can cast you into the depths of embarrassment or self-doubt. You don't even have to think about it because the good ones and bad ones sear the memory forever. You know who they are.
But just because you're in college, don't expect things to be different. The back-to-school cycle continues with another frontier to conquer. More supplies to buy. Getting along with roommates. Making new friends. And, of course, the grandaddy of them all, meeting your new teachers.
Whether you're five years old, 15, 19 or 49, teachers still wield great power over you. And teachers are probably one of the greatest contributing factors in a student's decision to stick with college or leave.
Teachers, we are your customers and your clients. Students pay a lot of money to be here. We are the future. We are the doctors, teachers, politicians or great thinkers in the world. And we are
Commentary
Dawn
North
Columnist
opinionone.kansan.com
Respect all of us, even if we're different than you. Don't make us feel stupid when we ask questions. Instead, go out of your way to make us feel welcome in your classroom. Smile. Laugh. Tell a joke. But, don't swear. It's unprofessional and offends many.
The profession of teaching comes with awesome responsibility—one students hope you take seriously. You are role models to us. Yes, we're still trying to figure out what kind of people we want to be. We want to add your name to our lists of those whom we desire to be like.
in your hands. Treat us with care.
don't forget we won't get it perfect the first time.
Data says experiences tied to emotions stay in long-term memory longer. So excite us. Teach creatively. Don't just tell us or show us. Give us hands-on experience to help us learn. Oh, and
Most college professors are not required to have any background in education, psychology or teaching to train college-level students. Yet, elementary and secondary teachers must have a four- or five-year degree and be certified in Kansas to teach K-12 students. That seems backwards. Just because a person possesses great amounts of knowledge about a subject doesn't necessarily mean he can teach it to others effectively.
Professors, brush up on your teaching techniques. Be organized. Take an education class to get better if you need it. Think of your many teachers through the years who were most effective and emulate them.
Do it for the 15 million college students across the nation who are trying to better themselves by attending (and finishing) college. Do it because the college needs you. And do it because you care about people.
North is a Lenoxa graduate student in jour alism. She is a former sixth grade teacher.
864-0500
Free for All callers have 20 seconds to speak about any topic they wish. The Kansan reserves the right to edit submissions, and not all of them will be published. Slanderous statements will not be printed.
FOR MORE COMMENTS, GO TO WWW.KANSAN.COM.
OK, so what's the deal? The building says no smoking within a certain distance, right?
Students follow it. Why don't the maintenance people? Hell, they don't just smoke around the building; they actually smoke in it. And this classroom reeks, you jerks.
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Whoever wants a swimsuit calendar of the women's soccer team, you really don't know much about the girls on that team do you? You might want to check into that.
If Christina Aguilera were to shave her head, her name would be Christina Have-no-hair-a.
Forget about the sobriety checks at 12th and Tennessee. Maybe they should set one up at the Burrito King.
I just think its ridiculous for the Chancellor's fundraising parties that they reserve all of Lilac Lane for parking at 8 a.m. for a 6 p.m. game when the fundraisers don't start until 3 or 4 p.m., and all the Miller and Watkins women and people looking for parking to actually study at the library on a Saturday can't park anywhere near their house or the library. It's justly. Alcohol and money aren't worth it.
This is the Watson Library circulation desk and just to set the record straight. We're not KU info, we do not have porn, and we have no qynectomy department
Hey if you're the girl that woke up next to me this morning, I want those shorts back and I'm sorry I forgot your name last night.
I'm at the game and Al Bohl just came up and gave us a little motivational speech, and I just want to thank Al Bohl for tailgating and giving us something to cheer for this year. Beer.
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Kansas football still stinks.
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题
Hey Terry, your team still sucks
KU football still sucks.
If it really bathers all you hippies so much, why don't you move to Honduras and make my clothes for me?
This is for the guy with the blue hair and cape and is all about Captain Poopy Pants. You have way too much time on your hands, bud. You need to get a life.
During halftime at Saturday's game, I saw two drunk girls wrestling in the grass. Finally a reason to support KU football. Thanks, Al Bohl.
I was wondering when classes start
Sheep don't swim in deep water. KU rules.
Man I thought it was fun living in McColum Hall, but it's really fun when you get stuck in the elevator of McColum Hall.
Yes I am just calling to say that Mr. Wellness, or whoever the wellness campaign is, needs to suck a fat one because most KU students that I saw this weekend are sloppy.
KU football now has an 18 - 9 home record during the Terry Allen era. Come out and help the Hawks beat UCLA. Go 'Hawks.
I hope all of you hippies had as good a weekend as I did down at my lake house cruising around in my boat that uses three times more toxic fumes than my brand new SLUV. Being from Johnson County rocks.
I think the KU football team should learn from Florida State and Miami. The only way we're going to be big time is if we have a bunch of criminals playing. So Mario Kinsey and Duncan should start against UCLA. I think that is the only way we are going to be bim time.
题
Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?
Is it just me or is there like 600 sororities girls that look exactly the same? Isn't there a sorority that promotes originality?
I've never heard a one-man monologue before. I'm going to go back to sleep now.
That's a nice car Drew Gooden has. How much did it cost us?
Teachers are people too. They're just older and lack a sense of humor.
Did we win a football game yesterday, or was I just dreaming?
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I was just looking through yellow pages, and there's actual action in the yellow pages titled chicken dinner. I mean, what's that about?
Maybe I would understand my physiology class better if my physiology teacher spoke English.
Q. ACK is for the children